Raynham Benny’s celebrates half-century mark

When Benny’s Auto Store moved from downtown Taunton in 1962 to 2 New State Highway (Route 44) in Raynham, there was no Stop & Shop supermarket next door.

“If you look at photos from back then you’ll see houses - there was really nothing out here,” said Arnold Bromberg, as he motioned in the other direction toward the Taunton side of the store.

Charles Winokoor

When Benny’s Auto Store moved from downtown Taunton in 1962 to 2 New State Highway (Route 44) in Raynham, there was no Stop & Shop supermarket next door.

“If you look at photos from back then you’ll see houses - there was really nothing out here,” said Arnold Bromberg, as he motioned in the other direction toward the Taunton side of the store.

Oct. 26 will mark the 50th anniversary of the Raynham store, now simply called Benny’s. And although they still sell their share of auto parts, including tires, inventory through the decades has become decidedly diverse.

Bromberg’s grandfather Benjamin opened the first store in 1924 in downtown Providence.

Before the end of the decade Benny Bromberg decided to step across state lines and add a store in Massachusetts, on Court Street in Taunton to be precise.

In 1931 it moved to the more central downtown locale of 8 Broadway, next to Superior Court, where it remained until 1962, the year of the Cuban missile crisis.

A black-and-white photo of an expectant, well-dressed crowd, however, seems to suggest shoppers that first day in nearby Raynham were more intent on a good deal rather than fretting about the end of the world.

The photo also depicts a benediction being performed by the late Rabbi Baruch Korff, who at the time was rabbi of Congregation Agudath Achim in Taunton.

Korff more than 10 years later became known as “Nixon’s rabbi,” for his support of President Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal.

Bromberg said when his father saw a news story about Korff and Nixon he was incredulous.

“He says, ’Hey, I think that’s the guy who did the prayer in Taunton,” Bromberg said.

Growth and tradition
There are now just over 30 Benny’s, mostly in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, but also in Connecticut.

The Raynham store is somewhat unique geographically, in that roughly half of it sits within Taunton city limits.

Arnold Bromberg said it was natural for his grandfather, who previously had been a manager for an auto-supply business, to open a store specializing in competitively priced auto parts and accessories.

Back then, Bromberg said, cars often didn’t come equipped with windshield wipers and heaters. Benny’s, he said, filled a niche.

Bromberg, 61, said his grandfather’s store also became known for selling radios for the house.

“It was like an iPod, everyone had to have one,” Bromberg said.

Benny’s, he said, is a family run operation through and through. Wives, sisters-in-law, brothers and nephews continue to run the mini-empire, which is headquartered in the Smithfield, R.I., village of Esmond.

“We don’t have titles. Whoever answers the phone first is the boss,” said Bromberg, who, when prodded, finally identified himself as vice president.

His father Malcolm, now 88, worked with an architect to design the Raynham store, which at 20,000 square feet was then the largest Benny’s.

“It was the template (for future stores),” Bromberg said.

The Raynham store has since added substantial warehouse space and now encompasses about 33,000 square feet. Other and newer Benny’s range as large as 60,000 square feet.

Bromberg said he and his family have always taken a conservative approach to expansion and growth. After all, they’ve witnessed the demise of other regional department-store chains - from Ames and Zayre (eventually bought by Ames) to Caldor and Bradlees.

“Why would I want to open a store in West Virginia? How would I keep it local?” he said.

But that’s not to say new stores won’t be added: “I don’t see why not, the future’s wide open,” Bromberg said.

He also claims not a single Benny’s has ever closed because of fiscal failure: “We only close stores to relocate them.”

Consistency in terms of staff and management is important, he said.

“We have a lot of long-term employees, it’s like family,” he said.

Bromberg notes the Raynham store since 1962 has had just three managers. The first, Izzy Friedman, he says, was the brother of the late former Taunton mayor Benjamin Friedman.

Friedman’s successor, Louie Verrocchio, by all accounts, had a colorful personality and is now semi-retired in Las Vegas. Current manager Scott Green has been running the store for 10 years.

Unique shopping experience
Bromberg said he knows he can’t compete with the buying prowess of major big boxes like Walmart and Target. But Benny’s shoppers, he said, are loyal.

“They come here for the shopping experience,” Bromberg said.

He says customers know they can get in and out quickly if they so choose, and don’t have to walk far for everything from toys and pet supplies, to furniture, bicycles, DVD players and scented candles.

There are also hula hoops for seven bucks, Del’s Lemonade mix packets from Rhode Island and plastic pink flamingos for $9.99.

“We sell tons of these,” said Green, who said that more and more people use the flamingos as a symbol of support for breast cancer research.

In terms of changing SKU (store keeping unit) items, Bromberg said if you had told him 10 years ago Benny’s would stock a $179 Keurig gourmet coffee maker, or a $299 infrared room heater, he probably would have scoffed at the idea.

Among new additions to the Raynham store is a computerized paint-mixing machine and an Audubon BirdCam for $99 that can be set up to videotape visiting birds.

Layaway to stay
Bromberg says free layaway will remain a Benny’s staple. For one thing it helps people and families who are on a tight budget, and secondly it gives them a place to store Christmas gifts.

“Some people don’t have a place to hide gifts at their house, so we’ll hide it for you here,” he said.

Green agrees that layaway remains in demand: “Without question a large percentage of customers use it,” he said.

The next big thing on the horizon for Benny’s customers could be cell phones. When queried, Bromberg would only smile and say, “We’re seriously looking into it.”